Battling a brutal 2-year winless drought, Max Homa has struggled with a string of back-to-back missed cuts and poor performances. Reflecting the human side of golf, Homa has not shied away from admitting his grappling with pressure, poor form, and mental hurdles. However, never one to back down, Homa has found his emotional anchor in his family, especially his kids. So, how are his kids helping him stay on track?

Max Homa is currently at the Napa Valley, looking to turn around his 2025 season with the Procore Championship. In the pre-tournament press conference, the host nudged Homa about his family and what reflections that brought. Talking about his kids back home, Homa replied, “Kids help a lot just because you’re always more present with them than when you’re sitting in a hotel room.” Homa has two sons—a 3-year-old Cam and a newborn Austin. With them, it appears Homa gets the closest to escaping the weight of his tough season, even though the weight lingers like a ghost.

Max Homa admits family time matters, but it’s not always easy when peers are out competing. “So I don’t think you can ever get that far away from it. I don’t know, it’s just like unique, you go home and people ask you why you’re not playing that week.” The pressure from both golf and outsiders lingers. “It’s kind of a ridiculous question. But yeah, it’s kind of hard to get away from.”

With 8 missed cuts in 20 starts and no top-10s, 2025 has been his worst season. Still, his kids keep him grounded. At the John Deere Classic, he said, “It’s just one of those things I’ve been super lucky with, especially with the kids. It always puts things in perspective. I haven’t had a very fun year and a half, so when you get a bunch of kids coming up, excited to get your name on their hat, at least it makes you feel good inside.”

It’s not just Max Homa whose kids have been a cornerstone in his golfing career. European Ryder Cup stars like Tommy Fleetwood shared how fatherhood helped him battle with Sunday pressures. That mindset shift eventually brought him his maiden PGA Tour title. Moreover, Rory McIlroy revealed that his daughter gave him perspective on golf. “It just puts things in perspective a little bit,” McIlroy revealed. “[My career] matters to me and I care about it very much, but at the same time, it makes the hard days a little easier to get over, right.”

However, for Homa, his quiet weekends back at home have been more than just hangouts with his wife and kids. The silence has stirred up reflections regarding his form. “I’ve had quite a bit of time this season most Saturdays and Sundays to reflect on how bad it’s been.” However, being the resilient golfer Homa is, he is already looking to turn his game around. “Hopefully turn it around soon and not need to reflect so much and just keep moving forward.” Will that moment come in at the Procore Championship?

Max Homa has rebounded before

Falling into a slump and bouncing back stronger is nothing new to the PGA Tour pro. Back in 2017, Max Homa was probably at his lowest, having missed 15 out of 17 cuts and making a measly $18,008. He fell below the world rankings at 1,282. That took a twisting turn with his self-deprecating humor, with one of his posts on X joking: “Had a few caddies hit me up recently hoping to team up. They heard they usually get weekends off which is apparently a great selling point.” Homa had lost his PGA Tour card that year after the brutal season.

However, Homa gave a masterclass in resilience, grinding his way back to the tour the next year in 2018. Homa rebuilt his game on the Korn Ferry Tour, winning the 2018 Rust-Oleum Championship, which propelled him back onto the PGA Tour. Now, returning to the Silverado Resort North Course in Napa Valley, Homa has a strong chance of having his comeback moment. The stats are here to support that.

Homa has already achieved a history of stellar wins at the course. With back-to-back wins in 2021 and 2022, Homa showed his technical mastery at the same course in the Procore Championship. However, his performance slipped in 2023 with a T17 and then a missed cut in 2024. But Homa has proven time and again that he’s no stranger to falling only to come back stronger. Now, it’s up to Homa to claim his place back among the top.